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How to speed up Netflix videos

s more and more of our entertainment moves to the Internet, seamless streaming can be a big issue. Prime time programs are being launched on Internet media agencies such as Netflix and YouTube so it is very important that the speed of your videos is up to the mark and they look and sound as good as being run off a DVD or from your computer.

This article on Make Use Of is primarily about improving Netflix streaming on any device that you can connect to the Internet (even gaming devices) so you can use this help to configure your particular device in order to speed up Netflix and other online streaming video websites.

Although individual website has its own streaming limitations, the sort of Internet connection that you have can also make a big impact. It goes without saying that in order to view videos from Netflix you need a broadband connection and your Wi-Fi router needs to be configured to its optimal setting.

So first of all you have to find out what sort of broadband connection you have. According to specifications on Netflix website,

1 Mb per second is good for streaming on a laptop

2 Mb per second is good for streaming on a standard definition television

4 Mb per second is good for streaming high-definition video and audio

5 Mb per second is perfect for streaming any quality of audio and video

When you are planning on streaming good quality videos it is better to connect to your router via a network/ethernet cable rather than a Wi-Fi connection although if you are in a good range, this shouldn’t matter much.

Sometimes your Wi-Fi router begins to act slow due to long usage. You need to reboot it and sometimes also reset it. The company that provided you the router may be able to help you in this regard if you think your speed is not as good as it should be.

Speeding up your Netflix videos on your PC desktop

When it comes to your PC desktop, there can be many issues that affect the speed of your Netflix videos. What is your screen resolution and window size? What sort of browser you are using? Is your display larger than 20 inches? Are you using a dual monitor setup?

There can be many memory hogging services that might be running on your desktop computer without you even knowing it. Try to close all the services using the task manager if they don’t affect the general running off your computer. By simply closing down some of the services you can speed up your Netflix videos.

Sometimes we are already downloading videos using some torrent program and we forget about it. Do check if your current program is running and if it is seeding or downloading big videos. Shut it down to speed up your Netflix video further.

Speeding up your Netflix videos on mobile devices

Basically the same advice goes for your mobile devices; first you should check that your Internet connection is running on its optimal speed. After that check that there are no resource-hogging applications running in the background.

It is advised that you watch your Netflix videos when on Wi-Fi connection because 3G and 4G connections in many parts of the world are not as fast as they claim to be. Besides, the data plans can cost you a lot.